Allowing gay men and lesbians to serve with integrity: An editorial

The Senate's 65-31 vote Saturday to repeal the ban on openly gay men and women in the armed forces means that an unfair, discriminatory policy will finally end.

A man holds a sign on Capitol Hill in favor or repealing the military Don't Ask Don't Tell policy, during the Senate Armed Services Committee's hearing on the Don't Ask Don't Tell policy.

"Don't ask, don't tell'' forced gay Americans to lie about who they were in order to serve their country. Those who didn't succeed in keeping their orientation secret ended up being discharged, which happened to more than 13,500 service members during the 17 years that the policy was in effect.

"It is time to close this chapter in our history,'' President Barack Obama said. "It is time to recognize that sacrifice, valor and integrity are no more defined by sexual orientation than they are by race or gender, religion or creed.''

He's right. Gay men and lesbians are already demonstrating their valor and patriotism in the armed forces, something that members of the military clearly recognized, based on their responses in a recently released Department of Defense report. Allowing them to do so honestly is only right.

"No matter how I look at the issue, I cannot escape being troubled by the fact that we have in place a policy which forces young men and women to lie about who they are in order to defend their fellow citizens,'' said Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The change won't happen instantly. President Obama and top military leaders will have to certify that lifting the ban will not harm the troops' ability to fight. Certification will be followed by a 60-day waiting period, and military leaders have said that the policy could be implemented on an incremental basis.

But the change will finally happen, and it's good that Congress took this action rather than leaving the issue up to the courts.

The military showed leadership in the past by desegregating its ranks at a time when civilian institutions were still marred by racial segregation. The Senate vote, which follows a 250-175 vote in the House last week, means that the military will finally do the same when it comes to sexual orientation.